Cotton Valley, Louisiana Population and Demographics

Published: October 1, 2020 5:15 pm

Population, Race and Ethnicity

Cotton Valley is a town in Webster Parish, Louisiana, with a population of 1,039. According to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, 27.30% of residents identify as white, 71.50% as Black or African American, 0.00% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.00% as Asian, 0.00% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.80% as Hispanic or Latino, and 0.40% as some other race or combination of races.

Nationally, some 61.1% of Americans identify as white, 12.3% as Black or African American, 0.7% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 5.4% as Asian, 0.2% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 17.8% as Hispanic or Latino, and 2.6% as some other race or combination of races.

Ancestry

Census respondents are also asked to report ancestry. Some of the most commonly reported ancestries in Cotton Valley include American, Subsaharan African, German, Irish, and English. Measured by location quotient — comparing the town share to the national share — some of the most highly concentrated ancestries in town are African, American, and Irish.

Age

The population of Cotton Valley is younger than the United States as a whole. The median age is 35.6 years, 2.3 years less than the national median age of 37.9 years. An estimated 9.50% of the population is 65 years and over, compared to 15.2% of the U.S. population.

Family and household composition

Family and household composition also varies heavily across the United States. In Cotton Valley, 31.60% of households are occupied by married-couple families, compared to the 48.3% national figure. Some 6.60% of households are occupied by single male householders, 21.60% by single female householders, and 40.20% by non-family occupants. Nationwide, 4.9% of households are occupied by single male householders, 12.6% by single female householders, and 34.3% by non-family occupants. An estimated 52.40% of heads of household own their homes, compared to the national homeownership rate of 63.8%.

Language spoken

English is by far the most commonly spoken language in Louisiana and across the U.S. as a whole. Similarly, in Cotton Valley, 100% of local residents aged 5 and up speak English exclusively, or, if they are multilingual, speak English very well. For context, 97.1% of the 5 and older population across Louisiana only speaks English, or speak it very well, and 91.5% of the same age group nationwide do.

Marital status

Residents of Cotton Valley are less likely than the typical American to be married. Of all local residents aged 15 and older, 39.8% are currently married, compared to 48.1% of Americans nationwide in the same age group. Across Louisiana as a whole, 43.5% of residents 15 and older are married.

Divorce is far less common in Cotton Valley than it is across the U.S. as a whole. According to Census estimates, 5.1% of residents 15 and older are divorced — compared to 10.8% of the U.S. population in the same age group. In Louisiana, 11.8% of the 15 and older population is divorced.

An estimated 46% of Cotton Valley residents 15 and older have never married, compared to one-third of all Americans in the same age group.

Veterans

In Cotton Valley, 7% of the 18 and older civilian population are veterans — compared to 7.5% of adult civilians nationwide and 7.1% of the civilian population in all of Louisiana.

Educational attainment

In Cotton Valley, adults are less likely to have a high school education than the typical American adult, and are less likely to have a four-year college education. Among Cotton Valley residents 25 and older, 67.40% have a high school diploma or equivalent, and 6.30% have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 87.7% and 31.5% of adults nationwide, respectively. Across Louisiana, 84.8% of adults have graduated high school, and 23.7 have a bachelor’s degree.

Income

The typical household in Cotton Valley earns $19,659 a year, about $40,600 less than the national median of $60,293 and $28,300 less than the median household income across the state of $47,942.

Poverty

Serious financial hardship is more common in Cotton Valley than it is nationwide. The local poverty rate stands at 51.10%, while the national poverty rate is 14.1%. Across the state as a whole, 19.4% of the population lives below the poverty line.